Question of the Week: Would a warning label stop you from drinking soda?

Will slapping a warning label on a can of Coca-Cola prevent its ardent fans from picking one up?

The backers of a bill that would place warning labels — like those on packages of cigarettes — on your favorite carbonated beverage certainly seem to think so.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel, introduced SB 1000 as a measure to help curb widespread obesity and other health issues that medical experts have long linked to consumption of carbonated beverages and drinks with added sugar.

One of the main sponsors of the bill, the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, reports that sugary beverages are the “single largest contributor” to obesity and its associated health risks, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

But CalBev, the California affiliate of the American Beverage Association, counters that claim, arguing that the real reason adults and children in the Golden State are overweight is their propensity to eat unhealthful foods.

New polling, meanwhile, suggests that Californians strongly support adding warning labels to soda cans and bottles. In a Field Poll released earlier this week, nearly three-quarters of those polled said they favor a warning.

If approved, the bill would require sodas to be labeled with a warning that reads: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.” The label would be affixed to the front of containers of beverages with added sugars and at least 75 calories per 12 ounces.

Backers of the bill — the first of its kind in the nation — hope the warning labels fare better than previous efforts to tax sodas, which have failed miserably at the ballot box.

What do you think? Should the state affix warning labels to sodas and other drinks with high sugar content? To CalBev’s point, why stop there? Shouldn’t candy bars, potato chips and other foods linked to excessive weight gain be similarly labeled?

Or are warning labels necessary to teach Californians about the risks of consuming sugary drinks, and an important step in resolving the obesity epidemic?

Send your thoughts to opinion@langnews.com. Please include your full name and city or community of residence, as well as a daytime phone number. Or, if you prefer, share your views in the comments section that accompanies this article online.